Beneath The Willow Tree
by charisma.mars
Summary: Two sisters were torn apart by the birth of the other. The older sister, Xiaolian; an ambitious lady who valued nothing more than conquest and glory. The only person she loved more than anything abandoned her because the birth of her younger sister, Himawari. Xiaolian soon meets the formidable Sesshomaru and has never been more entranced. Does love conquer all?
1. Chapter 1

When Breathing Isn't Enough.

They passed through villages like a wayward wind, no one knew who they were and the strange way they carried themselves, no one cared to know. They were sisters, but one wouldn't think so, they shared little to no resemblance. The elder sister, Xiaolian, didn't smile. She gazed upon others through her golden eyes with fleeting indifference. She walked with pride, almost vain. She was beautiful, in a underappreciated way, a way that you didn't quite notice her beauty at first, but instead at a third glance.

By the way her long, dark, ginger hair fell straightly and combed and primped, everyone could tell she was a demon. Ginger hair was not common in humans, but was common enough among demons that it was a dead giveaway. Her clothes were clean and just from a glance away it was obvious that it was made from fine material. Although the style was not traditional around these parts; it resembled styles closer to the mainland rather than the traditional casual yukata.

Still, anyone who saw the woman knew that she was no one to be trifled with. Besides the clear fact the she was a demon, she has an air about her that spoke serious determination and that meant that she has no problem striking down those who dared step in her way. The silent warning spoke loudly. Beauty was deceptive, no matter how fleeting, yet, by the way her hand never left the hilt of her Dual kodachi swords at her side it was clear that she valued her swordsmanship rather than ladylike appearance.

The younger sister, Himawari, didn't smile either; instead it looked like she had a permanent forlorn frown on her face. She was slender and spritely, a fragile opposite to her sister. When she passed through villages, people held their breath, not just because she was accompanying a demon but because the way her milky white eyes stared blindly in front of her. Besides the unsettling feeling she invoked in others for looking her in the eye, she was uninteresting. She wore a common yukata, with some mainland accents, her face was hidden behind those eyes, once seen; no one even remembered anything else about her face. Her hair was hidden beneath a tied cloth on her head. Yet it was assumed her hair was the common black. Strapped to her back was a simple shamisen, yet it was hidden and covered by wool. It was as if she was purposely hidden in standoffish attire as to not attract attention. Whether that was the doing of her older sister, Xiaolian, or herself was unknown.

They'd been walking for days in the dense forest and Xiaolian could see that her sister was growing tired. She sighed wearily and stopped abruptly, Himawari, who was walking directly behind her, bumped into her when she stopped.

"We'll rest here," Xiaolian said to Himawari, she took her younger sister's hand and led her over to a rock to sit her down. "I'll return shortly with food," Xiaolian said before she left her sister there.

Xiaolian didn't travel far, she couldn't risk leaving her little sister too far behind. She narrowed her eyes as she thought about Himawari. Himawari was blind and if that wasn't a nuisance enough, she was not only blind but a hanyou and to Xiaolian, a newborn babe couldn't be more helpless. Still it was her duty to escort her to Kaizou –a village in the east where her mate-to-be awaited her. She wondered often how she got stuck with this task, her mother chose her as Himawari's guardian even though Xiaolian had five other sisters and three other brothers. Xiaolian scoffed, she knew exactly why her mother chose her; she was the only one not mated and the second youngest. Everyone else was out reproducing their endangered species.

Xiaolian and her sister was both native to the eastern lands, but were raised in the mainland, it was said that in the mainland her mother could better protect her young but even there their numbers dwindled as the weak were destroyed and that only left the strong. Five families of daiyoukai remained for the tiger demons, and most of them were already mated, including Xiaolian's siblings. Her mother, Mika, struggled valiantly to find someone who was willing to take Himawari, the youngest and the only hanyou as a mate and surprisingly enough Kurou, the son of the daiyoukai Tsuneo, accepted her.

Kurou wasn't all that respected however, he was respected for the triumph of his father but he'd never done anything noteworthy, it was even speculated whether he could even be called a daiyoukai. Himawari received the only person who would have her, the weak _ninth_ son of the daiyoukai. Still, even this was better than Xiaolian, who was the second youngest out of all her siblings yet the one to inherit the most land and still she could not seem to attract a male tiger demon. She's had offers from others, but her bloodlines must stay pure, there were too few tiger demons left to taint it with any other youkai. It was surprising enough that her siblings were able to mate, since Himawari's birth had brought shame to her family but Xiaolian assumed it was because there were so few of them left that tiger demons couldn't be choosy.

Xiaolian didn't worry however; she had so many stacks of business to take care of once she returned home to the mainland that issues such as mating didn't concern her so heavily. Still, this task seemed tedious, her mother could have chosen a common errand boy for this yet it wasn't a surprise that she'd chosen someone stronger. Himawari was their mother's favorite, though she never admitted it, it was still true. Everyone else resented her though, not excluding Xiaolian either. It was Himawari's birth that caused their father, Yoshimaru, to leave them behind. Xiaolian missed her father, and sometimes she caught herself glaring at Himawari for his departure. It was because of her mother, Mika's infidelity that made him detest her and leave their family behind.

What angered Xiaolian even more than her mother's betrayal, was the fact that she still denied it. Still, Xiaolian hated her sister the least, at the end of the day she only bared resentment towards her but she couldn't bare to hate her totally, Himawari was blind and weak, pitiful and pathetic, it was her duty as the elder sister to look after her, even if she hated herself for her weakness towards the girl. Her siblings weren't so forgiving, Tarou, the first born, couldn't even be in the same mile as Himawari, he hated her so much that he would fly into a rage at her mere mention. It was fortunate that Himawari found a suitor when she did, just when Tarou returned to claim their father's lands. If he would have seen her, it was no doubt he would have killed her, and Xiaolian was in no hurry to die by her brother's hand for instinctually protecting her younger sister.

Himawari.

Someone was coming, Himawari could hear them. They walked slowly but their footsteps were light, lighter than most. Almost as if they walked only on their toes. Himawari smiled as she grabbed her shamisen and began to strum a simple tune based on the soft tip taps of the approaching footsteps.

_La De Dum, La Lai La_

The footsteps suddenly stopped and Himawari held her breath, waiting for that person to continue towards her. She frowned disappointed as the person turned to another direction, away from her, scorning her silently. Himawari sighed in boredom and covered her shamisen in its wool and strapped it back on her back.

The bushes rustled, silently at first and then very loud.

"Hello," a small voice said, it sounded like a child, by the eager way they walked Himawari was almost positive that it was a child.

"Hello," Himawari answered back as she continued to face down at her lap. She didn't want the awkwardness of looking in the wrong direction when trying to face the girl.

"What are you doing out here?" the young one asked, Himawari dared to look up in the direction of the voice.

"Waiting." Himawari replied simply. There was silence for a moment and then Himawari could hear the small footsteps come closer.

"My name is Rin, what's yours?" she was a girl. Himawari was relieved to know that simple fact.

"Himawari," she replied with a small smile.

"What are you waiting for Himawari-san?" the young girl asked. Himawari smiled and turned to the direction of the girl's voice. Yet she was still careful to avert her eyes, from the whispers and gasp, it was clear that it made others uncomfortable. She was used to it, her sisters and brother's hated when she met their gazes and they all constantly yelled at her. All except Tarou who only needed to speak quietly and only once: "Look at me again, and I'll rip those eyes right out of your skull," there was only the one threat, spoken in a deceivingly calm voice but Himawari only needed him to say it the one time for her to realize that he told no lie and to always stay away from him.

"I'm waiting for my onee-san" Himawari replied with a friendly smile that she hoped the girl could see, otherwise it would have been wasted. Himawari could feel the girl shift in her place yet Himawari was accustomed to remaining still for a long period of time, her sister, Xiaolian, didn't like fidgeting.

"I'm waiting for Sesshomaru-sama, he told me to stay near our camp until he returned, it's so I could be safe I'm sure, so I am waiting," Rin said chirpily. Suddenly the girl stood up, Himawari looked away and placed her hands on her lap.

"I have to go now, Jaken-sama would be angry for being away too long, it was nice talking to you Himawari-san, sayonara," the girl said happily as she walked away. Himawari raised her hand to wave goodbye but Rin was long gone by then, her hand remained in the air for a prolonged second before coming back to rest on her lap.

"Who are you talking to?" Xiaolian asked as she returned to camp. She was dragging the dead body of a boar with her but there was no way Himawari could know that. Xiaolian sniffed, her nose scrunching up as she smelled the distinct scent. "A human? Why was a human here?"

"It was a little girl, she was passing through… she seemed very sweet," Himawari replied as she blankly stared before her. Xiaolian sighed and dragged the boar and dropped it at her sister's feet.

"Dinner." Was all she said before she walked off and sat on another rock on the opposite side of the miniature clearing. She watched idly as Himawari stooped down and began to feel her way on the ground until she touched the boar. When she realized that the boar was still fresh and raw, she cringed and scrunched up her nose.

"Could you make a fire so I could cook this, if I ate it raw, I would become ill," Himawari requested. Xiaolian raised a thin eyebrow, this was a first, everyone else just ate raw. Although, her mother always specified what Himawari could eat at the table, Xiaolian never paid much attention to what she ate. Xiaolian stood up and walked away to gather rocks and tree branches to make the fire, when she returned Himawari was playing her shamisen, no surprise. She was very musical, though she had to admit it was irritating when Himawari decided to perfect her skills in the wee hours of the night while everyone else was sleeping. Xiaolian began to cook the boar with no words from Himawari this was heaven, she didn't particularly like speaking with Himawari. They never had anything to talk about and Xiaolian couldn't imagine anything she would discuss with a hanyou no less.

"Here," Xiaolian said as she shoved the leaf with the meat in Himawari's hand. She ate silently and Xiaolian returned to her rock. Just staring at Himawari made her think; this frail girl was the cause of all her family turmoil at home. And her mother! Sometimes she couldn't even look at Mika without glaring. To claim that she's never betrayed her father and that Himawari was just born a half-breed!

Ridiculous.

The evidence was the fact that Himawari breathed. Xiaolian felt sorry for her father, it wasn't in a tiger demon's nature to love their mate or even mate one time and stay with their mate but her father had done all of that, he'd loved Mika, and she'd ripped out his heart and spat on it. He didn't even want to see any of his children because of her. Sometimes Himawari despised her mother…and Himawari as well.

"Hurry up, we leave soon!" Xiaolian said nastily as she stood up and placed her hand on its usual spot; the hilt of her sword. Himawari stood with little hesitation and soon they were off again.

Meanwhile: _In the Mainland._

"Do you think that Korou-sama will like Himawari?" Mika asked as she sat in front of her vanity mirror, her eldest daughter Fumiko, brushing her long black hair. Fumiko gave an uncharacteristic snort and Mika glared up at her daughter.

"Neither of them have a choice, Korou is weak with no spine, the youngest, and rumor has it the bastard child. Himawari is a blind hanyou who isn't very pretty who lacks depth and she's as vulnerable as a newborn kitten," Fumiko stated as she continued to brush her mother's hair, she spared no expense telling the truth, no matter how harsh. "Who else would have either of them?" she asked her mother who could only nod in agreement.

"What of Xiaolian? It is odd that she is not mated," Mika said as she turned to Fumiko "She should be pregnant by now," Mika said stiffly as she turned back to the mirror. Fumiko snorted again, this time Mika didn't spare her disapproving scowl.

"Xiaolian is beautiful but she's more motivated to become the most powerful demon in the Mainland rather than to help reproduce our endangered species," Fumiko replied matter-of-factly. Mika cringed when she thought of her daughter. Xiaolian had a lot to learn about life, yes power was all well and good but building a family was equally important. Himawari was settled, she had someone awaiting her but as soon as Xiaolian returned home, Mika would put her efforts into settling her down as well.

There was a light knock at the door and just by their scent; Mika already knew who it was.

"Come in Jin," Mika said as she picked up the small bottle of fragrance and rubbed it on her wrist. Her door slid aside and soon Jin was brushing aside the beaded divider that separated her chamber. Jin was Mika's youngest son; he was a tall, lean, dainty man with a young fresh face. Surprisingly, he possessed a physical strength that often deceived and rivaled that of her eldest, Tarou. Still he lacked the skill to be totally invincible, but by the way his hand rested upon his dadao, she could tell that he'd just been sparing in the courtyard. His dark ginger hair was plastered on his sweat dampened forehead and Mika frown, resisting her maternal urge to tell him to freshen up.

"Mother, we're waiting for you in the dining hall," Jin announced. Mika nodded and waved her hand, signaling Fumiko to stop brushing. Both the women stood and Mika scrunched up her nose unable to hold back anymore.

"Jin, please freshen up before dinner," Mika said softly, "I'm used to you smelling like sandalwood and cherry blossom" Jin paled and then nodded stiffly before he escaped. Eight out of Mika's ten children were over for dinner, and she couldn't have been happier to see her children and her sixteen grandchildren. Soon enough, Himawari would join them with her children; she did hope that Xiaolian would meet a tiger demon to mate with while on her journey but she doubted it.


	2. Chapter 2

Xiaolian and Himawari had been walking for two days, drawing moderately nearer to their destination. Xiaolian stopped suddenly as she sensed people coming, she narrowed her eyes as her pointed ears twitched, shaking her square jade earrings in the process. People was coming and fast, Xiaolian's hands clutched her swords and turned to Himawari.

"Stay here. Do not move," Xiaolian ordered before she took off into the forest in the direction of the approaching group.

Himawari stood silently for only a moment before sighing in boredom and walking around in small circles. Himawari heard the light tip-taps of footsteps again, the same as the couple of days ago. It was the person who walked on their toes, the footsteps ceased and Himawari could only imagine that that person sat down. How odd, she thought, she'd never encountered a person who walked purely on their toes. Curiosity got the better of her and soon she was walking in the direction of the footsteps. She walked, brushing leaves out of her face during the whole time and amazingly enough she hadn't bumped into anything yet. Soon she knew she was upon a clearing and she could feel the weight of a person lying down on the ground beneath her feet.

"Hello?" Himawari called as she walked closer to the person. The body didn't say a word but she could clearly hear the steady breathing of the person. When Himawari knew she was standing above the person, she knelt down and sat on her knees by their side. The faint scent of fragrance assaulted Himawari's nose, this person smelled different, like the mist at the bottom of a waterfall. She knew that they were awake but she couldn't think of a reason that they wouldn't want to speak to her; they couldn't tell she was a hanyou just yet could they? Maybe the person was asleep; if that were the case then maybe she should just leave. Still, Himawari was compelled to reach out and touch the person, whoever they were, besides this and the little girl Rin she'd met days ago, she'd never met anyone that was outside of her family. She was terribly sheltered, her mother feared that people on the outside would hurt her because she was an hanyou, Mika even when to the extent of building tall walls around her mansion to keep uninvited guest out and Himawari in.

"I wonder who you are, I do not know you but I would like to I suspect," Himawari whispered more to herself. No one really spoke to others like this, but there was no way that Himawari could know this, she had no sense of socializing. Himawari sighed, for all she knew she was talking to someone who was asleep. She leaned over what she thought was the body and reached out her hand, only wanting to feel the heat radiating from the form. It was only then that Himawari was hit with the immensely powerful wall of demonic aura, this person was a youkai and they were so strong it made shivers run down Himawari's spine in fear. Now she knew this was a bad idea, but it seemed like it was too late for the youkai grabbed her wrist and squeezed causing her to cringe in pain.

Meanwhile: Xiaolian.

Xiaolian walked slowly as she came in first contact with the group of people, one hanyou, a kitsune, three humans and a cat. One was dressed in strange skimpy clothing and oddly enough she was pointing at Xiaolian.

"She's emitting a powerful demonic aura," the only human male said as he glared at her. "She has to be the one who destroyed the village," Xiaolian had no idea what village they were referring to, she and her sister hadn't cross through a village in weeks.

"I sense the presence of a shikon fragment coming from her but I can't find it," the one dressed in strange clothing said.

"Do not point that finger at me, human," Xiaolian hissed as she narrowed her eyes, the hanyou was the first to step up, obviously he did not like the way she'd talked to the woman but Xiaolian couldn't have cared less, she showed an insulting amount of flippancy that was enough to rile the hanyou.

"Mind if I point my finger at ya then? Hand over the shikon fragment and maybe I won't cut you in half," the hanyou threatened before he unsheathed his fang sword. Xiaolian scowled, this was a waste of her time. She had not shikon fragment and she had no desire to make this trip across this land any longer than it already was, if that meant avoiding fights then so be it.

"I don't have time for this," Xiaolian said before closing her eyes and turning her back on them preparing to head back to Himawari.

"Don't you turn your back on me!" the hanyou shouted before he swung his sword, Xiaolian didn't even flinch. Tigers were naturally stealthy and being a demon she inherited some of that power. One of her powers being able to make her body completely translucent, so Inuyasha's Wind Scar fazed right through her body. It was nothing new to her, she could do this since she was a mere child but she always was amused by the looks of shock from her opponents.

Xiaolian grabbed the hilts of her two swords, if he wanted to start a fight that she knew that she would finish then so be it.

"Fool! You should have counted your blessings when I turned my back on you," she hissed when she turned back around. The group looked like they'd recovered from there apparent shock and they looked like they were prepared to fight, this was fine with Xiaolian, their blood would mean nothing on her swords. Just as she were about to unsheathed her sword however, she heard a faint cry from Himawari. _Shit. Mother would kill me if anything happened to her. _Xiaolian sighed before once again turned her back on the group.

"Pitiful hanyou," she muttered before she was off within the blink of any eye. Inuyasha held a grudge immediately, of course he thought that she'd called him pitiful little did he know that to Xiaolian he was about as important or threatening as a small pebble stuck in the ridges on the bottom of her boot.

**Himawari.**

"You should have minded your own business,"

There were two things that Himawari was absolutely sure of now, one: that this demon that still held on to her wrist was a male, and two: everyone you came across was not necessarily friendly. This demon was awake, apparently he had been sleeping and Himawari with all her naive nosiness had woke him up and if she thought his demonic aura was intimidating while he was asleep then now that he was awake it was overbearing. It reminded her of her brother Tarou, it was common knowledge that he was the strongest of all her siblings, debatably the strongest tiger-demon even more so than their father (so she'd heard, she hasn't met the man) and this demon before fed of strength and power that was frightening.

"Forgive me for disturbing you; I merely wanted to meet someone new," Himawari replied softly as she averted her eyes from whom she was sure was looking at her. However he was right, she should have minded her own business.

Xiaolian arrived to see Himawari was being held by a demon in white. Xiaolian narrowed her eyes, and pulled out one of her swords and moved at high speeds to point the sword at the demon's throat. He seemed perfectly relaxed and why shouldn't he have been, Xiaolian was very much aware of how much power this demon was leaking off, but getting Himawari to Kaizou safely was a part of her assignment, and she had no intentions of failing her mother, she wouldn't hear the end of it for as long as she lived.

"Oi," Xiaolian started as she narrowed her eyes at him, "the hanyou belongs to me, release her," she demanded. He didn't even give her a glance before he was up and swinging his sword at her. Xiaolian thought fast, she'd pushed Himawari out of the way as soon as she was free and still had enough time to block his sword before pushing him back. This demon, however strong was just as physically intimidating. Standing an entire head taller than Xiaolian and two heads taller than Himawari it was clear that he looked the part of demon killer. Xiaolian was not afraid though, she was confident in her abilities and in her mind she could lay this demon out if she wanted to.

Soon swords were clashing again and Xiaolian was in a death grip with the demon known as Sesshomaru (though she didn't know it yet). Golden eyes met golden eyes as they stared at each other with murderous intent. Soon however, Xiaolian fazed through his sword and jumped back a distance from him. He narrowed his eyes, it wasn't the shocked expression she was used to but she had a hunch that his emotions were very well hidden, much like Xiaolian's.

"I don't have time for this, you miserable cur!" Xiaolian spat before she swung one sword and released a large wave of energy that had the power to level the forest and scar the earth. Sesshomaru stood on the defensive and surprisingly enough to Xiaolian; he completely cancelled out her wave with his Tokijin. Xiaolian glared at him and blew a breath out through the side of her mouth. "What a bother," she muttered before she charged back at him.


	3. Chapter 3

Himawari stood frozen, she didn't see what was going on but the tremors that shook the earth beneath her feet were clue enough, she stepped back when she heard the brief sound and rapid footsteps of a child.

"Himawari-San!" it was Rin, what was she doing in a place like this? She could get hurt. Himawari immediately turned towards the direction of Rin and found her instantly, she didn't hesitate and she picked up the little girl and ran blindly in a direction away from the commotion.

Sesshomaru saw this, in his mind Rin was in danger and he acted on instinct, he pushed Xiaolian out of the way and dashed in the direction Rin was taken. It wasn't long before Xiaolian was back in his way, in her mind he was after Himawari and she couldn't let that happen.

"Your fight is with me, dog!" Xiaolian hissed. He glared at her and swung his sword releasing a blue energy,

"You're in my way." He snapped as the blast hit Xiaolian square in her chest, destroying her breastplate in the process and drawing blood from her lips. Sesshomaru was surprised however, he expected her to die, or in the very least be in pain but Xiaolian simply smiled, and then her smile widened to a toothy grin. When she stood back up before him he was intrigued by her now bubbly outlook towards their fight.

"Finally, someone worth beating," she said darkly as she calmly walked over and grabbed her swords that'd been thrown into the dirt by his blast. "Alright, let's get this started," she said as she entered her stance.

**Himawari.**

"Rin it's dangerous back there, it would be wise if you and I stayed together," Himawari said as she dropped the little girl to her feet. Himawari couldn't help but turn back to where she'd escaped. This was her fault. If she hadn't had messed with that man, Xiaolian wouldn't be fighting right now, and the demonic energy that he possessed was unbearable even to her. Himawari inwardly cringed; if she'd indirectly caused her nee-chan's downfall then she wouldn't be able to live with herself for the guilt.

"Himawari-San! Back there was Sesshomaru-sama! I have to return or he'll be worried and angry!" Rin cried out, Himawari looked down to the direction of the little girl; she had to understand that is wasn't safe.

"It's dangerous, Rin-chan, he's battling my nee-chan," Himawari replied to her so she could understand. If Himawari could see, she would have seen the look of worry that donned Rin's face.

"B-but…Sesshomaru-sama will kill her," Himawari frowned at the girl's words. She knew this was plausible but she didn't need the reminder. _Please, ane-ue, please be alright, please don't die! _Himawari prayed as she held her hands before her mouth. Rin gasped when she saw the giant explosion that erupted where she last saw her lord, Himawari held her breath, she felt the earth shake and heard the explosion and she still silently prayed for her sister. They both waited for what seemed like an eternity, but everything was silent.

"Oi, Himawari!" Himawari gasped in delighted shock when she heard her name being called by her sister. She was walking towards her but by the vibrations on the ground…Xiaolian w-was limping. Himawari gasped again, this time in worry. She was hurt, but then she returned alive…did that mean that Sesshoumaru-sama was dead. Rin gasped as well coming to this same conclusion in her head.

"Xiaolian! You survived!" Himawari said as she rushed to her. Himawari missed the sneer Xiaolian gave her.

"Of course I am, what a foolish thing to say," she snapped, clearly insulted as she plopped down to the ground in an exasperated heap.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin called as she walked slowly back to the direction of the battle.

"Oi, little girl, return to your lord…I believe he may need your mending," Xiaolian said to Rin. Rin's eyes brightened at her words, Sesshomaru-sama was alive and mostly well, but then she frowned. He was hurt! She didn't hesitate in running back to him.

"Did you win onee-san?" Himawari asked as she kneeled down by Xiaolian and smelt the metallic scent of blood. She scrunched up her nose in displeasure as she nearly tasted it in her mouth. Xiaolian turned to her with narrowed eyes. "You are injured, I will tend to your wounds," Himawari actually looked worried about her, why would she care; it's not as if Xiaolian had treated her grandly. She wasn't used to this, all her other siblings had told her to bare the pain when stricken with battle wounds, they'd never tried to help. Having no idea how to deal with such attention, Xiaolian did the only response she knew how. She slapped Himawari's hand away from her and glared.

"I don't need your help," Xiaolian replied coldly, she turned away from her when she saw Himawari frown. Oddly enough she almost felt guilty for her resistance towards her. "You should be more careful, he could have killed you," Xiaolian said after a moment in a voice that resembled something soft…almost sisterly.

"I know, I am sorry-

"You have to follow my orders when I give them, Himawari," Xiaolian said sternly. Himawari nodded once, and Xiaolian relaxed as she leaned on the tree she'd plopped down next to. They rested in silence, something Xiaolian enjoyed doing and she'd closed her eyes and she even looked as if she were sleeping, Himawari didn't mind, she liked listening to the sounds of the forest anyway.

It was silent, until the pitter patter of little feet disturbed them. An imp emerged from the bushes, holding a staff far too big for him.

"How dare you harm my Lord? Die you wench-

The imp, known as Jaken, had paused in his valiant attack once he laid eyes on Xiaolian, whom simply opened her eyes in flippant annoyance yet it was deeply romanticized by the way Jaken saw her. When he laid eyes on her, he saw a golden-eyed grounded goddess. _So Beautiful…_ He thought as he stared at her, his little jaw falling inhumanly low. The vision of Xiaolian should have been distorted when she looked at him with detest and disgust. It wasn't. It should have been distorted when she picked up a rock and flung it at him. Yet it wasn't. Jaken cried out in pain as the rock hit in square on the forehead, flinging him back.

"Get away from me imp," Xiaolian hissed with a lift of her lip, Jaken scurried away. Not because she told him too, but in this unprepared state, he felt he wasn't worthy to behold her beauty, and so he returned back to his injured lord to treat his wounds and to prepare sweet smelling cologne for himself. "Disgusting little creature…" Xiaolian sneered as she settled back down to the tree once he'd ran away.

Himawari stood up and Xiaolian lifted one eyebrow and watched her.

"I'll go and retrieve some water for us both," She said as she started to walk off. Xiaolian was tempted to follow her but she was too week and besides, she smelled the river not too far from where she was sitting. If Himawari choose to follow her nose then she shouldn't have much trouble getting there. Xiaolian relaxed to a degree, allowing her sister some independence.

Himawari tracked the river down with little trouble, though that's was all she could smell; fresh vegetation and the subtle scent of rushing water. She approached slowly, her steps calm and deliberate. She had nothing to fear she was assured, she sensed no other presence and she allowed herself to relax, she reached into her obi and withdrew the small leather and wood canteen, walking slower to the edge she bent and gathered water into her canteen. Once she placed it back into her obi, she realized that she hadn't taken at bath in a few days. Deciding that she would only bathe for a moment, Himawari stripped herself and stepped into the cold water. She shivered momentarily until her body eventually adjusted. She swam back to the shore, carefully felt for where she'd laid her clothing aside and dug her hand into her obi again, extracting her bottle of bamboo lily oil her mother had given her.

_Where it the night you consummate your pairing with Kurou, he won't be able to resist you. You will bare me many grandchildren, with this_.

Her mother had told her when she stuffed the small jar into her hands, and Mika would know there was truth in these words; she made the fragrance after all. Himawari decided she had no intention of waiting for that faithful night to arrive before she used the soap, so with no regret she popped open the bottle and poured a large amount onto her hand and then rubbed it on her skin.

**Meanwhile: Xiaolian**.

Himawari had been gone for a while now yet Xiaolian sensed no threat in the area, she assumed that she was taking a bath, something Xiaolian could never protest as much as she loved bathing. She could wait, she wasn't fully recovered anyway.

Xiaolian opened her eyes slowly when she heard the faint sound of flapping wings, she looked up and saw the long wing span of golden wings. It was a phoenix, one of Tsuneo's messengers so she'd heard. He was the only person in the world who had phoenixes in his care and the very last phoenix at that. The phoenix landed in front of her gracefully, it was a delight to see one up close Xiaolian would admit. She'd never seen anything with beautiful kaleidoscope feathers and still maintains a golden sheen yet this creature did. It was as about the size of a peacock and probably as flamboyant yet entirely more regal.

The Phoenix approached her, bearing a scroll in its mouth, Xiaolian grimaced in pain as she sat up to retrieve the scroll. _Damn that bastard_. She thought as she cursed Sesshomaru in her mind for her wounds, she knew he was strong but now she was sure that he was one of the remaining daiyoukai in the land. That fact alone made him all the more interesting, he was the most attractive walking corpse she'd ever met and she couldn't wait to boost her skills by adding his tally mark to the list of defeats. She smirked in anticipation as she opened the scroll and read it. Xiaolian's thoughts of harming anything instantly left her mind once she read what the scroll had said.

_Lord Tsuneo of the East, request that his son's betrothed, Himawari, arrive no later than the end of the week. Great tragedy has struck his lands, Lord Tsuneo's eight sons have fallen and been devoured at the hand of the heinous Naraku, leaving only Kurou to secure his title as sole heir only under the condition that his mate, Himawari, be also present. Receive this message in the greatest of urgencies._

_ Lord Tsuneo._

Xiaolian's eyebrow's knitted together at the news of this. So there was a demon called Naraku plaguing these lands, and apparently he'd devoured Tsuneo's sons. How odd that she'd never heard of him yet he'd taken down eight daiyoukai. This got Xiaolian up with a start, she had no time to spare; Himawari had to be in the east in a matter of days. She cringed in pain as she forced herself up to her feet; she placed the scroll back in the Phoenix's mouth without even looking at the creature and made her way towards Himawari's scent.


	4. Chapter 4

Himawari hummed a tune to herself as she lathered soap on her skin and continued to bathe. If she could see, she would have seen that the great Lord Sesshomaru was resting against a tree not too far from the shore the entire time she bathed. The river masquerade his scent however, and he'd just cleaned the blood from his hakamas and unlike most men, he had literally no interest in seeing her naked. He watched in another direction totally indifferent but unwilling to move, he'd been there first and at first glance, he'd figured out that Himawari was blind and if she didn't see nor sense him there he would not give in to the effort of moving.

Himawari swam to the shore, this time extracting a small jar of anise seeds, she opened the bottle and chewed and swallowed a few to freshen her breath before swimming back to wash off the soap. She was almost done with her bath, one last thing to do and that was to wash her hair, she lifted her hands to untie her headrag when suddenly she sensed the presence of her sister approaching. Himawari's eyes shot up in the direction, in fact of Sesshomaru, this time he did look at her for the second time since she'd come to the river. (The first being when he saw that she intended to take a bath and then he immediately averted his eyes) She stared at him, or so he thought- awaiting something, her eyes white as snow but curious in their depths, with an evident innocence that quite frankly annoyed him. He turned away from her instantly, all he saw was her eyes and he didn't need to look at her lack of 'assets' to see that she was a mere child.

When Xiaolian emerged from the forest, he was already standing and readying himself to leave, he'd smelt her approaching and he had no time for her ambitious games. He'd already healed, with a few minor gashes here and there but not nearly as much time as she thought he needed. When she'd charged back at him, she came back with a force that almost impressed him, determined to beat him she'd unleashed an attack of great force, something clearly taken straight from her youki rather than her weapon. The power behind the strike did impress him, enough for him to know not to take it lightly and when he met the blow with his Dragon Strike, it caused both of them to take damage, leaving them both battered and bloody while lying in a broad crater. To her credit, she rose first, but looking at her now it is clear that she took the most damage.

Xiaolian paled when she saw Sesshomaru and then her eyes narrowed to a hard glare as he watched her in return dismissively, as if she didn't exist.

"Oi, Himawari" Xiaolian called to her sister, her eyes never leaving Sesshomaru as her hand went to her hilt.

"Hai, nee-chan?" Himawari called back as she swam to the shore in all her naked glory.

"Have you no modesty, girl? Cover up. You never know what deviants lie out here," Xiaolian said while glaring at Sesshomaru. She said it almost softly so it sounded like an older sister offering advice rather than embarrassing her by letting her know Sesshomaru was there. Himawari nodded briskly before she'd gotten out of the river and gotten dressed. "Wait for me where I have laid rest, do not move under no circumstances, I will return shortly," Himawari nodded before picking up her shamisen and walked away, leaving Xiaolian 'alone'.

"Ironic that you would be watching my hanyou bathe only hours after trying to kill her," Xiaolian hissed while narrowing her eyes. He didn't reply but stared at her with indifference, she obviously wasn't worth his words. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face so quickly…Sesshomaru," Xiaolian said with a delighted smirk as she unsheathed her swords. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, clearly aggravated but confirming her theory all the same. It was correct; she knew of him, she'd heard rumors from her father when he came back to the mainland from his voyages into this land.

"At first I thought you were just any youkai, but then when you cancelled out my attack and even matched me when we fought, I knew you had to be one of the remaining daiyoukai that roam these lands," Xiaolian said as she paced in front of him. "My father once told me of Inu No Taisho; he said that he had sons as well, and that one of them possessed great power. He told me stories of your father, he was a man that he admired and he used to say that one day he wanted to battle with him." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed even more, he didn't like where this was going. "That day never came as you can imagine, so instead he saw great potential in you, he said he would challenge and defeat you if he ever crossed your path…lucky me, I beat him to it," Xiaolian continued.

"You are not worth my time, woman," Sesshomaru said stoically before he turned his back on her. Xiaolian smiled, whole-heartedly amused.

"I never asked for your time Sesshomaru, simply your defeat," Xiaolian replied charmingly with an uncharacteristic shrug of her shoulders and an even more unusual smile. Xiaolian was her most beautiful when she smiled, she had a small dimple on her right cheek that others would find adorable but truthfully she never noticed such things, the only beauty she did notice was the way her swords gleamed when making a clean cut and combo through a difficult opponent. Conquest was true beauty. Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder at her; he really had no intention of fighting her.

"What a bother," Sesshomaru muttered coldly, mimicking her words from earlier. Xiaolian couldn't help but smirk as she saw him turn away and continue on his way. Xiaolian shrugged indifferently and sheathed her swords, she hadn't had any intention of fighting him either and she had a feeling that he knew it and that was why is was so easy for him to turn his back on her. He was no longer a person Xiaolian wanted to just kill, she knew who he was now and that meant in that moment he became more than an opponent, he became a rival. There would be another time to defeat Sesshomaru, Xiaolian had decided, she just didn't have the time to spare. After Himawari reached Kaizou then she'd come back for Sesshomaru's head.

"How charming," Xiaolian said under her breath as she complimented the demon lord. She turned on her heel and walked back to her resting place, it didn't take long to get there and when she did arrive, she was quite furious to find that Himawari was not there. This time however, she didn't leave on her own; she smelt the dissimilar scent of others. Himawari was taken. What a bother indeed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Just where are we going?" Himawari asked after a while. She was being carried on the shoulder of a strange man, she didn't know who he was but Himawari was positive that she'd had enough of meeting new people. It didn't work well in her favor she realized and now she just wanted a simple and quiet trip to her groom-to-be. If she never met a new person for the rest of her life, she would be fine.

"Shut up wench! Never you worry about that, the fire god will love you as a sacrifice," the man who held her cried out. Himawari gasped, they were going to sacrifice her!

"Sacrifice?" Himawari exclaimed, it was then that the smell of their human blood penetrated her nose. _Oh no_. Her sister would surely track them and kill them all. It was four of them; she could tell by the way the wind shifted between their bodies and by their diverse footsteps. "You have to release me, you don't understand, Xiaolian will-

"I said shut up!" the same man shouted, and then she felt a slap to her face. They had no idea what they were doing. She could smell the fear off of them like a cloak, they were afraid of this so-called fire god. They were humans and it wasn't fair that their lives be lost for their fear, still she was not willing to be sacrifice. She had to do something to save them and herself.

It wasn't long before the man who held Himawari dropped her to her feet. They were beginning to set up camp for the impending night and that left their chances of survival to nothing. Her hands were bound and so were her feet, in woven rope that was easily broken by her.

"Do you really think she's worthy? A blind girl for the fire god?" One of them said as he talked to another.

"What does _he_ care? A girl is a girl," another replied. This was a semi-traumatic experience, she'd read scrolls and stories about this sort of thing, men carrying off maidens for their own purposes. Himawari didn't think this would happen to her, her mother constantly assured her that such things wouldn't happen, she was a hanyou and under the protection of the walls, there was no way to get kidnapped. Obviously her mother hadn't accounted for the audacity of humans.

She'd broken the rope, and now while she was sure the men were distracted by their preparation, her hands snaked around back to uncover her shamisen. Once she'd had it into her hands, the men had turned to her.

"What are you doing?!" one of them cried. Himawari closed her eyes, feeling the earth beneath her feet as her senses played radar to locate her kidnappers. With her fingers, she strummed one single note. It echoed around the forest eerily and suddenly blades of nothingness swept the men off their feet, slicing them in non vital places but still enough to render them immobile. All four of them were unconscious and Himawari frowned. She didn't like violence but it was necessary in this case.

"I am truly sorry," Himawari whispered as she bent to pick up the discarded wool. Himawari heard chains rattle as she slide the instrument back on her back, with little hesitation and began to walk away. She'd just saved their lives even if they didn't think so, Xiaolian would have killed them without hesitation but if she seen that Himawari was not with them she would move along. There was no need for death.

Himawari was walking for what seemed like hours and probably was. To her dismay it was in no particular direction, she had no idea where she was going, Xiaolian's scent was nowhere to be found. However, the trees seemed to be denser in this section, and she figured she was going further and further away. She sighed warily before turning around, prepared to go back the way she'd came until the scent of graveyard soil and herbs floated around her.

It was in that moment that Himawari realized that she was not alone; she turned to the direction of the person and stopped abruptly.

"Who are you?" the person asked, it was there that Himawari found that it was a woman. Himawari swallowed the lump in her throat, now feeling a nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was most unpleasant.

"I am Himawari, who are you-

"Tell me, _Hanyou_, how is it that you've walked through my purification barrier?" the woman asked. Himawari was stunned momentarily, she hadn't even noticed.

"There was a barrier?" Himawari asked curiously. Himawari had the feeling that this woman thought that perhaps Himawari was making fun of her. It was clear by the indignation in her voice that she didn't like youkai, even when Himawari had told her her name she still called her hanyou, Himawari was used to this though, the only people who did call her by her name was her mother and Xiaolian (Xiaolian doing so sometimes) Himawari didn't think she deserved better from others, in her mind she was showed the same amount of respect as everyone else.

She could hear the woman coming closer; she walked slowly yet with purpose and Himawari was stricken with even more disturbance in her stomach. "Who are you?" Himawari asked again, this time more persistently.

"My name is Kikyo," She said as she drew closer and stopped. Himawari heard the pull of twine, she was almost positive Kikyo was drawing back on a bow. "And you have no place here, hanyou," it was then that Kikyo was struck with a powerful pain the ricocheted throughout her body. She screamed and she was mildly aware of Himawari screaming in pain as well. Kikyo was sure that this pain felt as if someone was ripping her apart; it was reminiscent of when Kagome tore her soul out of her body so long ago. _What was this? How was it happening?_ She thought grimy, and to her shock she felt her legs drawing closer to the hanyou. Her body moved of its own accord, forcing forward towards the girl. It was then that she could see the souls leaving her body, one in particular pulling towards Himawari but still bonded to Kikyo. Yet the closer the one soul drew near, the more pain Himawari was in it seemed.

Kikyo gasped as her knees caved under her, yet her body still crawled towards Himawari, her hand reaching out longingly as if the soul was dying to reach the strange hanyou.

"Stay away from me!" Himawari screamed as she backed away and then broke into a frantic run away from the strange woman. It wasn't until Himawari was far away from Kikyo and in a safe distance away from the sudden pain that she stopped.

Why was this happening to her? she thought as she collapsed to the forest floor. Everywhere she went people were trying to hurt her, even when she was by herself minding her own business people were trying to hurt her i.e. the humans. Himawari couldn't help but cry at the pain that she'd just escaped, it was so unbearable, Himawari thought that she would die. Was this the life that she'd craved when wanted to leave the home she knew so well. Her mother was right and she didn't think she could miss those tall walls more. She pulled her knees to her chest and wept silently, she knew her siblings would make fun of her for her tears, they never cried they were too strong, they were daiyoukai, trained in the ways of perfected killing. She was not, she didn't like death and she didn't like pain and she didn't like being alone.

She missed her mother. Mika would never let any harm befall her. It was a weak thought and Himawari knew this but when she'd felt what she just did, all she could think about was returning home under her mother's protection. Mika was the only one who showered her with affection and love, although the way her siblings treated her was in no way comparable, Mika had enough love for all of them, even if sometimes she didn't show it in the most typical of ways. Himawari sniffed, and pushed back her sob, today was the first time she'd ever felt pain, all beginning with that demon lord. Behind the walls of protection at her home no one had ever laid a finger on her, Mika wouldn't allow it.

That woman, Kikyo, had made her feel so strange; every time she drew nearer she would feel more pain, it was like her body repelled her nearness and that held Himawari perplexed.

Himawari cringed once she smelled the distinct scent of rain, and to her dismay, thunder and lightning wasn't long in following. Himawari sniffed again as she felt the rain beat down on her. It worried her, how was Xiaolian ever supposed to track her through rain? Himawari sniffed again and stood up and trudged forward. If it was possible to find shelter out there then she was determined to do just that. Xiaolian would just have to search a little longer.


	6. Chapter 6

"You sure you can do it, witch?" Jaken asked the old hag who was bent over a bowl full of fowl smelling ingredients. The witch knowned as Kyunatsu turned her wrinkling neck around to crane over Jaken's slight body.

"Do not question my ability imp! Besides, what exactly would I get in exchange for this favor?" Jaken glared at the witch. She was wasting time and he'd already left Rin alone with Ah-Un far too long. Sesshoumaru-sama was sure to return shortly.

"What is it that you want?" Jaken's voice chirped out. The witch brought a skinny finger to her cracked lips and then smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. Jaken grimaced from the sight.

"If I help you do this, I wan't your love's first born child," the witch croaked. Joy entered Jaken's heart. He hadn't even thought as far a children with his love. The demoness, known as Xiaolian, she was so beautiful…they would make dashing children together. But still this woman wanted their first born! No matter, he intended to make many with her. Still the regret of losing his first! But he needed the witch's aid to even go as far as fathering Xiaolian's children. It would have to be a sacrifice he would have to make.

"Fine, you will have our first born child, now give me the potion you wretched hag!" Jaken screamed. The witch smirked, the stupid creature, heaven helped the woman he planned to use the potion on. Kyunatsu fished some of the liquid from her bowl into a container and threw the bottle to Jaken.

"That is my end of the bargin, however, the potion will not be permenant until your love's first is born. Until that day, the potion will last but mere hours,"

"Yes, yes, I understand!" Jaken said as he looked at the bottle dreamily.

"Are you even listening?" the witch asked dryly as she saw Jaken flutter around on his cloud nine. No. He was not listening. Kyunatsu decided as Jaken bounched out of the castle that was her home. _He will be back_. Kyunatsu decided with a wry smirk.

Meanwhile: Xiaolian

"We don't have time to spare, your father-in-law is requesting that you be there by the end of the week so Kurou can secure his place in sucession," Xiaolian said as she turned to glance at her sister…however she raised an eyebrow when she saw that her sister wasn't listening to her but instead chatting along with that human child, Rin. "That child is still following us, huh?" Xiaolian asked curiously as she walked to where they were and bent down to the little girl's eye level.

"Little girl-

"I am Rin."

"Yes…Rin. Tell me, why aren't you with your lord? You should go, you will only be in the way," Xiaolian said sternly but the little girl simply smiled at her with misplaced content. Xiaolian raised an eyebrow. What a strange child indeed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama went away for a while, he always returns even if he leaves me bored. Jaken-sama was supposed to watch over me but he went away also and left me with Ah-Uh, after that Rin became hungry and Sesshoumaru-sama always says if Rin is hungry Rin has to find her own food so that's what I did until I met you," Rin explained animatedly. Xiaolian stared at the child for a moment, was it likely that Sesshoumaru-sama would come to retrieve his child companion? Xiaolian smiled at the idea of seeing Sesshoumaru-sama again, she stood up and turned her back, resuming her place as the leader of this line.

"Very well, you may accompany us until your lord has come to get you," Xiaolian said as she continued on.

Meanwhile: In The Mainland.

Mika was grinding herbs to make her new toxic fragrance, she was enjoying the time she had to herself…it was hard to gain solitude when you were surrounded by such a busy castle. It worried her sometimes of what was to become of her daughters. It seemed like an easy enough time, they'd left several weeks ago to deliver Himawari to her husband, it was only expected that Xiaolian be on her way back by now.

Mika felt a light breeze rising on her neck, she turned to see a large golden pheonix landing behind her. Mika turned and walked over to the creature.

"You bare a message from your lord, Fenikkusu-sama?" Mika said as she took the scroll from its mouth. She read the scroll quickly and frowned down at the phoenix. "I see…so Xiaolian and Himawari are still wandering around while this Naraku person is reeking havoc?" Mika said more to herself. This posed a problem, the letter read that all of Tsuneo's sons except Kurou were devoured, obviously he was targeting tiger youkai, and if that were the case, her two daughters were in danger. Not that Mika doubted her daughters' abilities but she needed reassurance. Tsuneo's sons were powerful and for this unknown demon to defeat eight of them was enough to arise caution.

"Send for Kyoko and Jin," Mika told the attendant that was standing a little ways off. The attendant was off and soon enough her daughter and son stood before her. Kyoko was the second oldest daughter; her hair was snow white and cut short into a bob. Kyoko valued the way she looked as much if not more than her swordsmanship so it was needless to say that she wore the finest garments. And right now with her powered face and red lips her make-up was impeccable. She oozed a sort of forbiddance, almost erotic and sensual…heaven only knew where she'd got it from, Mika exuded grace and elegance, she would never carry herself so wantonly.

"There's a disturbance happening where your sisters are travelling. I've received word that eight of Tsuneo's sons have been killed and eaten by a demon known as Naraku. I fear for my girls and although I know they are very capable in survival, I still want you two to go as reinforcements," Mika commanded. Kyoko and Jin's faces dropped dramatically and Mika could clearly see their protest without even hearing their words.

"Mother, I have cubs to attend to! They are just barely four years old; I can't leave in the middle of their training-

Mika simply raised her hand and her daughter's mouth snapped shut.

"You have a husband, Kyoko. I am sure he can take over their training while you are away," Mika said "Besides, these are your younger sisters, take that into consideration,"

"Only one of them I claim as my sister!" Kyoko hissed. Mika sent her a piercing glare that froze Kyoko.

"Go." Mika said sternly, leaving no room for argument. Kyoko sneer with an ugly lift of her lip and then she was off. Jin hesitated for a while, he wanted to say something but the look Mika gave him told him that she had no intention of listening so instead he departed as well.

Meanwhile: Xiaolian.

"We have been walking for hours now, where are we going?" Rin asked. Xiaolian groaned in annoyance, the little girl had not stopped talking once, since she started traveling with them. At first it was charming, cute even, but now she just wanted to stab herself in the neck to stop the insistent questions!

"We are going to Kaizou, little girl-

"I am Rin." Rin said innocently, while she stared up at Xiaolian with large brown eyes. Xiaolian sighed and regained her patients.

"We are going to Kaizou, _Rin_, and hopefully, before I cut off my ears, we will cross paths with you lor-

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin exclaimed and ran to the approaching figure. Xiaolian sighed in relief; he couldn't have chosen a better time to show up. She was beginning to feel like she was babysitting and she already had her hands full with Himawari.

"So the great Lord Sesshoumaru decides to make his presence known, at long last," Xiaolian said, almost mockingly. Himawari stepped back, she'd heard Sesshoumaru-sama approaching from a mile away, his lily stained waterfall scent couldn't be denied and he was the only person that she'd met that walked purely on his toes. She wondered if Xiaolian knew this as well. "I was beginning to suspect that you would never appear," Xiaolian said.

Sesshoumaru himself did not say a word, but that didn't stop his little companion from speaking to her.

"Most graceful Xiaolian-hime, Thank you for guarding Rin in my absence," Jaken said as he bowed at her feet. Xiaolian sneered in disgust and stepped back out of his begging and groveling little hands.

"Little youkai, do you know who I am?" Xiaolian asked curiously, he'd called her princess, which she was, yet that title was solidified in the Mainland. She hadn't been on enough campaigns in this land for her stature to be fully recognized just yet. Frankly, she was surprised that he'd heard of her, when she was in this land she tended to keep a low profile.

"I am Jaken. And yes, Hime, I have heard all about you and your conquest in the Mainland. You are a great and powerful ruler there, are you not? You have many brothers and sisters, all daiyoukai, am I correct? And your father! What a fierce general legend has told him to be, ah the great Tiger Emperor, Yoshimaru-

"What do you know of my father?! How do you know his name? Have you seen him here in this land? If you have, tell me this instant where he is, and if you lie, I will disembowel you!" Xiaolian had Jaken's puny neck in her grasp in a second. It was almost as if hearing her father's name set her off. She hadn't seen her father since Himawari was born and she longed to see him again. Up until his departure he was her best friend. She was close to her mother, but not nearly as much as her other siblings and there was a special bond she'd had with her father, since the very first moment she'd laid eyes on him the night of her birth. She remembered that night, it was cold and she didn't know anything but looking at him she felt that she and her alone was meant to be his successor, his prodigy, the next great tiger empress. Her brother Tarou was the strongest right now, but he was older and had a lot more experience. Xiaolian knew that with more training she could defeat Tarou and become the very best. She would make her father proud.

"Please princess!" Jaken rasped. Xiaolian snapped out of her thoughts and released Jaken. She wiped her hands on her clothing in disgust and turned away from Sesshoumaru and his trio. Jaken wheezed and coughed as he crawled back to Sesshoumaru's side but Xiaolian couldn't help but feel a little ashamed at how she'd lost her composure.

She turned back to Sesshoumaru. He was staring at her intensely, almost like he was trying to read her. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it once she realized that she didn't have anything to say. Besides, it wasn't any of his damn business anyway, she decided. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Himawari.

"Himawari. Come." She called and walked off, with her younger sister following close by. Xiaolian passed Sesshoumaru without so much as a sideways glance, she didn't have time to fight him or stand for his assessments either. She could see the question deep in the depth of his eyes. His face remained a mask of indifference and nonchalance but she knew better.

She knew she'd cross paths with him again. She counted on it.


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN: I _****_Don't_****_ own Inuyasha, it's characters, it's plot or storyline._**

**_Thanks to all those who've reviewed, you're comments really help me keep this going and I'm glad that you like my story and my characters as much as I do. Thanks Again._**

_Xiaolian could hear an infant's wail and screaming coming from down the hall from her chamber. She narrowed her eyes curiously and silently and approached the commotion. It didn't take much to figure out that the screaming was of her parent's. She stood by the sliding door, through the crack she could just make out her parents arguing. Her mother was standing with a bundle in her arms, a screaming child begging for attention. Her father was standing before her and they screamed and shouted at each other, no doubt making the newborn anxious._

_ "Yoshimaru I have never been unfaithful to you!" Mika screamed. Xiaolian's father, Yoshimaru only glared at her further._

_ "How dare you claim that that hanyou is my child!" He yelled at her. Mika stepped back and tightened her grip on her child and glared at him._

_ "Look at her! If you'd only look you'd see yourself in her eyes!" Her mother begged, pleading desperately and holding out the wiggling baby for him to observe. Yoshimaru only spared one glance at the child, then his eyes narrowed to slits. He stared at Mika, his eyes becoming suspiciously glassy._

_ "How dare you!" he hissed just above a whisper._

_ "She is your daughter!"_

_ "She bares no similarities to me! You look at her!" Yoshimaru bellowed while pointing at the baby in her arms._

_ "I've never taken another man to my bed!-_

_ "YOU LIE!" he roared. "You've taken a human to your bed! You've betrayed me, our family, my love!" he spat. Tears were now falling from Mika's face. Xiaolian gasped. She'd never seen her mother cry, and she'd never seen her father yell at her. Xiaolian didn't know what to make of the scene and already felt that her family was falling apart. She looked at the bundle in her mother's arms and stared intently. Her mother had just given birth the day before; everyone was thrilled until they all sniffed the tainted blood. A half-breed._

_ "My love, I swear I didn't, she was just born this way," her mother sobbed._

_ "You do not love me, stop pretending to." Yoshimaru hissed._

_ "No that isn't true-_

_ "It is true. You never wanted to be with me, your father forced you to and you've resented me ever since!" He retorted. Mika sobbed and closed the distance before them; she placed her hand on his chest and looked pleadingly up at him._

_ "I've never resented you-_

_ "No more lies, Mika!" he shouted and pushed her away. Mika sensing that her child would be hurt in the altercation moved and placed her baby on her bed. Xiaolian swallowed the lump in her throat as she saw her mother come back into view. "I've gone all these years, only to be deceived by the type of woman you are. It was a waste."_

_ "It was not a waste Yoshimaru! We have beautiful children to show for it!"_

_ "And you've shamed me beyond compare! You dishonored me!" he continued as if he didn't hear her._

_ "Your reputation? Why care what others think? She is your daughter!" Mika retorted. Yoshimaru shot her a venomous glare._

_ "A whore would care nothing of a reputation wouldn't she?" he hissed. Xiaolian gasped as well as her mother._

_ "How dare you!" Mika shouted with more tears gliding down her cheek._

_ "You look at that…thing and look me in the eye and tell me she's my child!" he shouted. Mika looked over at her bed where the infant lay fussing and whimpering. She returned her gaze back to her mate, closing the distance between them, she then looked him in the eye and with all the seriousness she could muster she said: "Yes. She's your child."_

_Yoshimaru narrowed his eyes at her._

_ "If you'd only admit to me your infidelity…I could have forgiven you. You know how much I love you, and you used my weakness against me. I could have forgiven you anything Mika." He said in a resentful whisper, his eyes becoming glossy once again. Mika lifted her chin, almost defiantly and with a boldness that was inappropriate for the situation she said:_

_ "I've never been unfaithful to you, I've never lied to you. I've only respected, honored, and adored you and if you cannot see that then you are a fool."_

_ Before anyone knew what happened, Yoshimaru slapped Mika sending her to the floor. Xiaolian gasped but covered her mouth to keep her father from knowing she was just outside the door. _

_ Yoshimaru now had a lone tear running down his cheek, his eyes were red and a vein was protruding from his forehead. Mika put her hand to her cheek, shocked that he'd struck her. He leaned over her slight body, and as she looked up at him she'd never seen him look like that. His face was red from anger and the tears and his fist were clenched. She thought he would hit her again but it was clear he was trying to restrain himself, whether he didn't want to hit her again or he was regaining some self-control she wasn't sure._

_ Yoshimaru stared at her with blind fury. He hated her but he knew that wasn't true, he could never hate her. He didn't want to strike her; he truly didn't but her words…the audacity behind them. He didn't want to feel guilty; he didn't want to be sorry. He didn't want to drop to his knees and beg her to tell him what he did wrong, why would she betray him yet he had to fight the urge not to. He wanted to shake her, to make her simply admit her wrong so he could move on, so he could forgive her and pretend that nothing was wrong. Why wouldn't she just admit it? Why wouldn't she just put him out of his misery so they could make it work? He wished he could hate her, could strike her again but he couldn't. He never wanted to see her again. Ever._

_ "Damn you you wretch, Damn you to hell." His cracking voice croaked. He turned away from her. He took a deep breath and stormed out of the room._

_ Xiaolian didn't move when her father opened the doors. She stood staring at him; she'd never seen tears upon her father's face yet he didn't wipe them away like a man ashamed, instead he didn't notice them, as if they didn't even exist or he didn't feel them. He stood still for a while staring at his youngest daughter, a young woman only a head and a half shorter than him. In her eyes there was a question that both of them knew the answer to._

_ "You're not coming back are you?" she voiced it. Instead of answering, he turned away from her and walked away. "Father, please!" She shouted after him. He stopped momentarily and then continued to walk away. Xiaolian ran after him and grabbed his arm trying to stop him. "You can't go!-_

_ "Xiaolian!" Her father roared. He didn't look at her but he did stop. "Release me."_

_ "But you can't leave-_

_ "Enough." He shouted. He turned to her and grabbed her by her shoulders and looked her deep into her eyes. "You're a woman now, you don't need me."_

_Xiaolian felt tears running down her cheek. She shook her head unwilling to listen._

_ "But I do! Please father don't go." She begged. Yoshimaru glared at her. And stepped back._

_ "Is this who I'm leaving my empire to? A sniveling child?" He said harshly. Xiaolian wiped her face quickly and looked at him._

_ "No mi'lord." She said. He nodded in approval. She wouldn't understand now, a woman she was yet she was still inexperienced._

_ "Good. And always remember: Never subject yourself to weakness, not for anyone." And then he was off and was never seen again._

Two people woke that morning from the same dream…or rather flashback. Father and daughter shared more than blood that night but that painful memory as well.

**Yoshimaru**

Yoshimaru's eyes slowly opened as the sun streamed through the window. He sat up and ran his hands through his long black hair. He stood up and went over to the bowl by window. There sat a mirror, picking it up he looked at himself. He had a bit of stubble on his chin, dipping his hands in the water; he slapped the water on his face. Flexing his claws he began to shave off the short hairs using his nails. When he was done, he splashed water on his face once again. He looked at his hair and noticed that at the roots red hairs were growing. He leaned over the bowl and grabbed the bamboo stub that acted as a container. Shaking the bottle, he then pour a drop of its contents on his head. Instantly the red hairs faded to black.

He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He'd had that dream again, the dream about Mika's infidelity. It'd been almost two decades since it happened yet sometimes, on days like this, the pain was still fresh. Shaking his head he stood up and went over to his pile of clothing sitting in the corner. He picked up the plain brown attire and dressed himself. There was another pile next to his clothing pile, yet it was covered in wool. Underneath was his armor and the clothing he'd left the Mainland with. They were of the finest materiel and were worth a lot yet he didn't lower himself to wear it. When the time when he really needed it, he'd sell it. It was no doubt worth a lot, enough to get him out of most situations should they arise.

Next to the covered pile was his sword, leaning elegantly against the wooden wall, covered in dust from lack of use. Every now and again he'd unsheathe it, simply to hear the scrap it made as it was pulled from it's sheath. He hadn't heard that sound in many years however; at some point he knew it was pointless to even hear the sound.

He sighed and began the tedious task of braiding his hair. It was long, reaching his knees and often got in the way when he was doing fieldwork.

"Yoshi-san!" he heard the familiar voice call. It wasn't long before the door flap to his small hut was pushed aside as a little human girl burst inside his home. Yoshimaru's hands were still busy braiding but now in the little girl's presence he was sure to make his claws retreat back into his hands, a second later his fingernails were blunt like a humans'.

"Ayumi-chan, what have I told you?" Yoshimaru said calmly without even turning to the child. Ayumi blushed and nodded then she walked back out of the hut.

"Yoshi-san, can I come in?" Ayumi called from outside.

"No." Yoshimaru called back.

"Yoshi!" she wailed from outside.

"Alright, you may enter." He said after a moment. Ayumi rushed back in a sat in front of him, her face was red and her cheeks puffed up.

"Your not very funny, Yoshi-san." She said. Yoshi looked down at the child. Ayumi was maybe six, he didn't know for sure. She lived in the village down the hill from his hut. Her father was killed in the war and somewhere along the way the child had started following him around. She really was a nuisance most times, especially when he was working in the rice paddies and she wanted to play with his hair. Other times…he liked having her around simply for the company. She was small even for a six year old, her face was always dirty from playing in mud and she almost always tracked it into his home to his utter annoyance, and the little green yukata was scratchy, he could tell by her discomfort at times. Still, it was a very poor village, and they couldn't afford anything better. Yoshimaru itched in his at times but never complained. He didn't have a right to. Ayumi and her mother, along with everyone else in the village was born into this poverty and had no other place to go -he was not and him being there was completely by choice.

Her black hair was littered with dandelions, suggesting she was up early playing in the fields while her mother worked. He snorted and then smiled down at the girl briefly.

"I don't know, I think I'm fairly amusing, it is you who is too young to understand my humor." Yoshimaru replied at last. She stared at him as he continued to braid and frowned.

"You're not a very good braider either." She commented. "Besides, girls are supposed to do that. Here, I'll help you." She said as she jumped up and moved to sit behind him and began to braid his hair in his stead.

"You're right I'm not. I always had daughters to braid my hair." He said after a moment. He cringed once he knew what he'd said. He didn't like to think about the family he left, especially any of his children. He hoped Ayumi didn't hear him, yet he didn't have no such luck.

"I didn't know you had daughters. Where are they Yoshi-san?" she asked. Yoshimaru sighed and looked down.

"With their mother." He replied after a long while. Ayumi momentarily stopped braiding. He turned to look at her and noticed she was looking down in concentration. "What troubles you Ayumi-chan?" He asked. She looked up shocked like she'd forgotten he was there and then blushed.

"Nothing, it's just that made me sad." She said simply.

"Why is that?" he asked. She blushed harder and scratched the back of her head.

"Well…you're always here by yourself Yoshi-san and my mama is by herself too…I just thought that you could marry her and have babies." She said. Yoshimaru stared at her for a while trying to decipher if the child was serious. Then he realized, she was a human child, they were always quite serious about their wild ideas. He must have been staring at her for longer than he thought because the child began to blush furiously. He sent her a reassuring smile and turned away. Soon she began to finish braiding his hair.

When she was done, she bounced up and grabbed Yoshimaru's hand and led him outside his hut. Yoshimaru spent the time away from is family residing in this village. He posed as a human as to not attract attention from humans or youkai to him and for the most part he lived peacefully. Why he chose a human village? He knew there wouldn't be any ambitious youkai out to challenge him and claim his title. Did he despise the humans? Not as much as he'd thought he would. He thought he would go on a rampage after Mika's infidelity but once he'd arrived that had changed. Coming to this village he had the intention of destroying it but then the people welcomed him without question. At first he'd felt disgust for their naïveté and wished it upon every life there to choke on their hospitality. After a while it'd warmed up to him. The villagers offered him the old abandoned hut on the hill, a place not even fit enough to store his shoes but he'd humbled himself and made it his new home. He'd been staying there since.

Ayumi took his hand and began leading him down the hill to the village. He walked with her passing by the fields as they went.

"Hello Yoshimaru-San!" Some of the workers called and waved to him as he passed them by. Yoshimaru turned smiled and sent a short wave.

"Yoshi-san you'd never guess who's arrived at the village!" Ayumi said after a moment of walking. "That's what I came to tell you today!" She said happily. Yoshimaru looked down at the child and raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"There's this odd group of people: a priestess, a demon, a monk and the best part a demon slayer! Cool right!" She chirped. Yoshimaru narrowed his eyes at her. An odd group indeed. This seemed most unusual. This could spell trouble for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Xiaolian forcefully marched on as her sister struggled to keep up. She'd been avoiding Himawari since the moment she'd woken up that morning, she didn't even look her way and speaking to her was out of the question. Himawari didn't know exactly what her problem was but she could guess that she'd had another dream about their father departing. Xiaolian didn't sleep often, actually only sleeping once every three weeks, but miraculously, she always had the same dream.

That night, she was the last person to see their father, everyone else didn't know he'd left until the next morning. Tarou seemed like he'd taken it the worst, immediately after hearing about it, he'd locked himself into the training room and didn't come out for days. Many training attendants lost their lives in that period of Tarou's rage…however, the one who'd taken it the hardest wasn't Tarou at all, it wasn't even Xiaolian –even though she'd spent weeks on her own looking for him in the mainland- no, it was Mika who took it the worst. She didn't leave her garden, she didn't speak a word for months, and all she did was make fragrances.

Himawari was immediately shunned for the simple fact of her birth, none of her brothers and sisters wanted anything to do with her, Mika seeing this turned her new obsession no longer on fragrances to her daughter. From there, it was apparent Himawari was Mika's favorite. Xiaolian once was her mother's favorite at one point, after her father left, she didn't even want that privilege anymore so she wasn't upset when Himawari took over.

She didn't hate Himawari like the others did, it wasn't her fault she was born and Xiaolian was reasonable enough to understand that obvious fact…yet…when she had dreams or memories of her father leaving, she didn't even want to be around the girl. She didn't want to talk to her or even look at her…it was all a reminder. Thinking of the hanyou, she looked over her shoulder and saw that Himawari was having trouble keeping up, she sighed and slowed her pace so she could catch up. Himawari smiled in gratitude and began to walk beside her sister.

Xiaolian looked up as she saw the impending gates of Kaizou coming into view. They'd finally made it and she could be done with this whole mission. After mere moments of walking they finally arrived at the front gates where there were guards dressed in impressive armor, they held their katanas tightly and bowed once Xiaolian and Himawari came into view. This was Tsuneo's personal guard, which was clear. These youkai's weren't even tiger-youkai and most likely weren't as powerful as their lord would have liked. They were having a hard time maintaining their human forms, and that was proof enough. One of them even had a claw instead of a hand. If Xiaolian had to guess, the real elite guard was killed when Tsuneo's sons were devoured, and he had to dress up the infantry to make it seem like he still had things under control.

"Xiaolian-Hime, Lady Himawari. Lord Tsuneo welcomes you." One guard greeted as he proceeded to open the gates. Before the guard could even open the gate fully, everyone heard a powerful nay coming from the skies. Xiaolian turned along with everyone and looked up as a large white horse with a mane made of bellowing flames landed not far from the gates. The powerful steed was harnessed to an elaborately decorated carriage. The horse dug it's steel covered hooves into the dirt and released a mighty nay that was followed by thunder. Its eyes were black and it breathed flames from its nostrils.

This was Xiaolian's horse…her warhorse to be exact…her warhorse that was the last gift from her father to be more precise. Xiaolian narrowed her eyes to slits as the carriage doors opened and her older sister, Kyoko stepped out. Kyoko was dressed in a fine tailored kimono, that was loose around her shoulders and bared more cleavage than was becoming of a supposed lady. Her white hair was littered with accessories and strapped to her back, which contradicted to the whole femininity of her person, was a bisento. Despite what their mother thought, Xiaolian knew Kyoko better, she was a warrior first, a lady second…granted…close second. Still, Xiaolian didn't like Kyoko much, they disagreed on everything and Xiaolian would bet all her yen that it was Kyoko's bright idea to use her warhorse as a carriage puller.

Next, it was her older brother Jin who stepped out. Jin was looked every bit the noble he was, his armor was gold and had reliefs of tigers hunting prey sculpted into it. The red and orange haori was made perfectly with fine detail. His black hamakas stopped at his knees as they were tucked into his long boots that were covered in gold and steel. She could tell they were made in the mainland by the toe of the boots that curved up instead of the traditional boots. Around his waist was a tiger's pelt, paying homage to his kind. His red hair was to his shoulders and was braided behind him. His hand rested on his dadao and he was the one to close the carriage door behind him.

"Xiaolian, so you're still alive after all," Kyoko said as she approached the group waiting to enter Kaizou. Xiaolian glared at her and took a couple of steps in her direction.

"What are you doing here? And why is Jun pulling your carriage? You know Jun was bred for battle!" Xiaolian hissed. Kyoko smiled sweetly at Xiaolian, like she was a five year old trying to tell her off and it was the most adorable thing she'd ever witnessed. She pulled out her fan, flipped it open and began to fan herself indifferently.

"It's not like that lazy animal has seen battle lately, and I really didn't feel like walking the whole time." Kyoko said simply. "Mother sent us by the way." She added in casually. Xiaolian glared at her sister. So Mika thought she couldn't get Himawari to her husband without messing it up, huh? Xiaolian clenched her fist at the insult.

"I know you've heard about Tsuneo's sons, she wanted us here as back up so you don't end up dead." Jin added in as he came to stand by Kyoko.

"I didn't need your help!" Xiaolian hissed, she turned and pointed at Himawari who was waiting over by the gates. "Besides, you're late. We're here already so you're presence is irrelevant and not needed." She said as she turned back to her older siblings. Kyoko and Jin both looked relieved to hear that they would not have to stay longer than necessary.

"Well in that case, you can just come back with us, there's room in the carriage," Jin said as he gestured to the Jun and the carriage. "And your steed's pretty damn fast too, got here in mere hours." Jin mentioned. Xiaolian glared at him as he'd reminded her that they'd used her warhorse for something so trivial. The reason they could not ride Jun was because the horse's flames were hotter than hell itself, and only Xiaolian could mount Jun. She was actually wondering how they'd managed to strap the hell horse to a harness anyway. Still, Jin was right, Jun was the fastest thing in the sky and on earth…that still didn't give them the right however.

"If you're coming, come on! I'm beginning to smell like hanyou and lower youkai!" Kyoko complained as she scrunched up her nose.

"You all aren't leaving so soon are you?" they heard a deep voice say behind them. Xiaolian turned and saw that Tsuneo had made an appearance. He was dressed finely as was expected of him. He was a youkai who'd been around for quite a long time and it showed. His thin hair was grey with the exception of a few black hairs that suggested that he'd had full black hair at one time. He stood tall but it was clear he wasn't as bulky as he'd once been so many centuries ago; it looked like his armor was even falling off. In actuality, he looked like a decrepit old man, frail and meek but Xiaolian knew better, she'd heard the stories of his conquest. He was a legend.

Xiaolian and her siblings instantly kneeled to bow in respect. When they rose, Tsuneo was smiling with glee.

"Come, come! We've prepared a feast in honor of your arrival. I'm pleased that you got Himawari-hime here on time, now my son can finally marry." Tsuneo said as he gestured for Xiaolian, Kyoko and Jin to come in. Kyoko and Jin looked like they were going to refuse, until Tsuneo's smile faded and he said: "I insist." -With eyes as hard as stone and a voice that left no room for argument.

Xiaolian turned to Kyoko and Jin; everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing –don't anger their family's only unbiased ally; don't risk the chance that Himawari may not be married. Without much hesitation, they all followed Tsuneo through the gates.

Kaizou was a town rather than a village; it was bustling with activity and commotion. Large walls protected it and the economy was fairly prosperous. It was a human village, and the youkai lord, Tsuneo offered them protection…the only price was that there was a heavy tax. Tsuneo took sixty percent of the merchant profits, the taxes were high, and there was even a tax against childbirth. No family was allowed to have more than two children and if that wasn't enough to think the policies were tyrannical, a human couldn't leave unless they purchased a passport or else they couldn't return to the town again. These rules of course were relaxed for high-ranking youkai that resided in Tsuneo's massive castle or rather fortress that sat on the hill overlooking the town.

Xiaolian thought these rules were ridiculous if not plain unwise. Under these conditions, the people would surely revolt. Still she didn't care one way or the other how the humans lived, it wasn't her concern. As Xiaolian looked around at the humans that bowed first and then went back to their practices she realized how wrong she was. The humans in the town looked happy and healthy. She didn't understand how that was possible with their living conditions, however the homes looked sturdy and well kept unlike certain villages her and Himawari had passed through. She had the feeling that most of the humans were brainwashed, still she guessed the logic behind their content was that they were happy to have a tyrant for a landlord as long as they lived to see the next day.

It didn't take long for their party to reach Tsuneo's castle. It was indeed massive if not a bit excessive. Xiaolian had to remind herself that Tsuneo-sama's eight sons and their families lived there as well, she didn't know what happened to their wives since their death but Xiaolian honestly didn't care.

Stepping inside, Xiaolian bent down to take off her shoes like everyone else –Jin had more trouble with his armored boots than anyone but everyone found his attempts a bit humorous.

Tsuneo suddenly stopped and turned to Xiaolian and Himawari.

"My son is waiting in the dining hall, but I think it would be wise for you all to freshen up before hand." Tsuneo said as he gestured for a servant to come to him. "My servant will escort you to your rooms, and I would be honored if you stayed one night." He said. No one protested, Xiaolian had a feeling there wouldn't be much use in arguing with the old man. Her hand went to rest on the hilt of her swords as the servant went and led Xiaolian and her siblings to their separate rooms.

Slid the door open and stepped into the plain room. There was a washbowl near the window. Himawari was in the room across the hall, she was sure the hanyou could handle herself. Xiaolian pulled her swords from her obi and laid them down at her side as she kneeled in front of the washbowl and began to wash her face. Next to the washbowl was an ivory comb, something Xiaolian needed desperately. She picked it up and began to comb her long red hair. Once she was done, she grabbed her hair and neatly placed it into a well-primed side knot. She reached into the bag she had hanging on her obi and pulled out the numerous hairpins she had. She neatly placed them in her hair and smoothed her hand from her temple to the back of her head.

Her attire was already well flourished and her pent up hair just made it look more elegant. She was a warrior so trailing kimonos were not her taste since they usually got in the way. There was a mirror leaning on the far wall. She stood, grabbing her swords with her and went to the mirror and looked at herself, she straightened her back and lifted her chin. She approved. She strapped her swords back to her side and left out her room and went across the hall to check on her sister.

She slid the door open before she realized her error and slid the door back closed. Xiaolian's father had always gotten on her about not asking permission first before entering someone's private space. She'd never fully learnt. Knocking on the door first she waited before Himawari called to her that she could enter.

Himawari's room was lavishly decorated; Xiaolian supposed it was because she was going to be the future lady of this castle still; Xiaolian frowned because regardless of Himawari's position now, the décor was still wasted.

Himawari was sitting at a finely carved vanity, her back was turned to Xiaolian and she didn't move to turn around. Her shamisen was leaning against a far wall, no longer covered in wool but was lying on a royal blue pillow. Himawari was dressed in graceful multilayer kimono befitting of her position, yet her hair was still tied in a rag. Xiaolian thought that maybe it was because the servants hadn't quite gotten to that yet. Xiaolian couldn't blame them, from what Xiaolian remembered of her mother brushing Himawari's hair, it was a real job.

"Are you nervous?" Xiaolian said to break the silence. Himawari suddenly jumped as if she'd forgot Xiaolian was there. She turned to her briefly and smiled but did not answer. Xiaolian wasn't bothered that she didn't answer; instead she walked over to Himawari and stood behind her. "I didn't think so." Xiaolian muttered more to herself. She wouldn't understand if Himawari was nervous anyway, this was a dream for Himawari, she was a hanyou who was going to marry a lord –a weak lord- yet a lord nonetheless, it was as good as a half-breed would get.

"I'll help you with your hair." Xiaolian said. This was probably the last thing she would ever have to help the girl with for the rest of her life and Xiaolian was happy to be rid of her, the girl was so much trouble it was amazing she lived to be this long. She knew Himawari would be well taken care of, or else her mother would never have agreed to the pairing.

Xiaolian picked up the silver brush lying on the vanity and went to removing Himawari's head rag. Finally untying it and throwing the tattered mess to the side, Xiaolian watched as Himawari's long golden hair tumbled to the floor. Although Xiaolian would never admit it, she was always amazed when she saw her younger sister's hair. Never had she seen such color in hair, and it was so long and thick, it was really no wonder Xiaolian's father didn't believe she was his. She really bared no resemblance. Xiaolian inherited his red hair along with most of her siblings. Fumiko, Xiaolian's older sister took her mother's black hair, and then there was Kyoko who had white hair but that was from their grandfather's genes that'd had white hair in his family for many generations.

Himawari looked nothing like the rest of the litter, Her blonde hair was almost the same color of her tanned skin, and her white eyes made her look like something completely different. Everyone always assumed it had something to do with the human blood in her veins. Xiaolian began to slowly brush Himawari's hair, while running her fingers through the tresses. Everyone thought that Himawari was ugly, that could have been the biased opinions of youkai with complexes, Xiaolian couldn't however agree. Himawari had startling features, they were without a doubt, different but she couldn't say she was unsightly…just unusual.

At the moment, with her orange kimono, golden hair and skin…she looked almost ethereal in the most unexpected way.

Xiaolian finished brushing Himawari's hair and stepped back. Himawari rose and turned around to face her sister, she bowed deeply before facing Xiaolian again.

"Thank you sister for keeping me safe. I know mother told you to but …thank you, I am truly grateful." Himawari spoke softly. Xiaolian stared at her for a long moment not really knowing what to reply. She swiftly turned away from her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We should go, dinner is probably ready by now." Xiaolian replied before she walked out the room. Himawari followed close behind.

When the two arrived at the dinner table, everyone was already seat. Xiaolian watched as a man suddenly stood. He was Kurou, Himawari's husband to be. Xiaolian narrowed her eyes at him as he stared at Himawari in tentativeness. He was put off by her unusual appearance, Xiaolian could tell that immediately, but Xiaolian as more unsure about his looks. Kurou was older than Xiaolian and her siblings, even older than her parents. Age didn't mean much in the youkai culture, youkai aged slowly so it was rare that two youkai were paired and they didn't look compatible yet…if Xiaolian had to use human years as an example: Himawari looked eighteen -which she was- and Kurou looked like he was in his mid forties.

Xiaolian moved to sit beside Kyoko, who was sitting beside Jin. Himawari moved and sat next to her betrothed who was still staring at her intently, next to him was another tiger demoness and Tsuneo sat at the head of the long table.

"Guest, this is Amatsu, my eldest son's widow…she's the only who's chosen to reside here with me after the death of my sons" Tsuneo said grimly as he gestured to the mystery demoness. Everyone remained silent for a long while as the grim topic was brought up. Tsuneo's eight sons, devoured by the alleged Naraku…it was unbelievable the outcome, yet Xiaolian did think it was odd how nonchalant Kurou seemed to be acting.

"I've taken the liberty and prepared some mainland dishes, I know you'll find them to your liking" Tsuneo stated as he held up his cup signaling dinner to start. It didn't take long before the actual feast did commence, and a feast it was. Tsuneo went all out to get every possible food. Kyoko ate very slowly, careful not to spill anything on her kimono, Jin however wasn't to proper, he ate like he hadn't eaten in days. And the only one who actually didn't eat in days, Xiaolian wasn't very hungry and her plate was left untouched.

The servant poured more warm sake into her cup; she nodded to him and drunk it back before she slammed the small cup on the table. Jin hadn't placed his chopsticks down since the dinner stopped and Himawari ate very warily. Kyoko looked at the plate sitting in front of Jin in desire and then turned to Jin.

"Jin, can you pass me the bean curd?" She asked. Jin looked away from his bowl for only a second to glare at Kyoko for her interruption.

"Your arm broken? Get it yourself." He retorted before he went to shoving more food in his mouth. Kyoko glared at him and reached over his bowl of rice –not forgetting to 'accidently' spill the whole bottle of soy sauce on his meal. Jin exclaimed and then glared harshly at Kyoko who seemed to pull an innocent look from out of nowhere.

"So, are you all going to stay for the wedding ceremony?" Tsuneo asked his guest. Kyoko snorted and gave him a looked that said she couldn't believe he would ask such a question.

"Pft, not likely!" She retorted. Xiaolian narrowed her eyes at her sister and nudged her, silently warning her not to be rude. Kyoko continued unabashed regardless. "I have cubs at home, they're waiting to continue their training with me." Kyoko turned and looked at Xiaolian with a smug smirk. "But I'm sure Xiaolian-chan can stay to witness. It's not like she had a husband or children." Kyoko said snidely. Xiaolian's eyes narrowed to slits at her sister. She was perfectly aware of Kyoko's attempts to embarrass her. And as Tsuneo, Kurou and Amatsu all turned to scan her, trying to find what was physically wrong with her that she wasn't mated yet, she realized that Kyoko had succeeded. Xiaolian puffed up her chest and raised her chin.

"I'm not mated by choice." Xiaolian stated. Kyoko snorted beside her and flipped open her fan and began to chuckle behind it.

"That's only what women say when they cannot find a mate." Kyoko laughed and to Xiaolian's utter annoyance, all the men at the table laughed as well. "What's worst is that she believes her sad, lonely words!" Kyoko exclaimed. Everyone laughed harder.

"Do not worry Xiaolian-hime, if this hanyou can find a mate so can you." Tsuneo said as he tried to console Xiaolian, which succeeded in doing nothing, but pissing Xiaolian off. Everyone began to laugh at Tsuneo's comment but the humor was lost Xiaolian. Xiaolian glared at them all and clenched her fist before slamming it on the table. That silenced everyone's laughing immediately.

"Enough! I won't be ridiculed and mocked like some common human woman!" Xiaolian hissed as she stood up and glared at them all. "If I wanted a husband I could very damn well get one!" She said. Kyoko laughed and waved her fan at Xiaolian like she was a sassy child.

"Yes, yes, Xiaolian-chan, we believe you, we believe you. No need to throw a tantrum!" Kyoko teased. Everyone laughed again. Xiaolian glared at her and then turned on her heel and stormed out. She didn't stop walking until she was out of Kaizou gates. She had never been more embarrassed, still she would not stand for it. Her mother would probably hear of her disrespect to Tsuneo-sama for storming out of his castle but she really couldn't care less. She'd had enough of their snide remarks.

Xiaolian walked over to her warhorse that was still standing near the gates. She unharnessed the carriage and then quickly mounted Jun. Jun recoiled in response, but Xiaolian instantly calmed the horse down. Grabbing the reigns she turned the horse in the direction away from Kaizou. She smirked, she had the last laugh, Kyoko and Jin had to find their own way home.

"Nothing more to do here. Jun, let's go." Xiaolian said lowly. The horse nayed and stood on it's two back legs and then took off running in the opposite direction, away from Kaizou.


End file.
